Name: ______Pd._____ Early Presidents vs. Andrew Jackson
Objective:
Compare and contrast the first three Presidents with Andrew Jackson
Directions: Using the readings below, fill in the chart for ANDREW JACKSON and GEORGE WASHINGTON.
Andrew Jackson
Inauguration
Thursday morning, thousands and thousands of people, without distinction of rank, collected in a large mass round the Capitol, silent, orderly and tranquil, with their eyes fixed on the front of that edifice, waiting the appearance of the President. After reading his speech, the oath was administered to him by the Chief Justice. The Marshal presented the Bible. The President took it from his hands, pressed his lips to it, laid it humbly down, then bowed again to the people. Jackson was America's first "Frontier President" – the first president who did not come from the nation’s east-coast elite. His victory was seen as a triumph for the common man and for democracy. The celebration of his inauguration was an opportunity for America’s ordinary citizen to rejoice.
Domestic Policy
Jackson entered the White House with an uncertain policy agenda beyond a vague craving for "reform" (or revenge) and a determination to settle relationships between the states and the Indian tribes within their borders. On these two matters he moved quickly and decisively. As President, he initiated sweeping removals among high-ranking government officials—Washington bureau chiefs, land and customs officers, and federal marshals and attorneys. Under the guise of reform, many offices were doled out as rewards for political services.Jackson denied that political criteria motivated his appointments, claiming honesty and efficiency as his only goals.
Jackson did believe that Indian civilization was lower than that of whites, and that for their own survival, tribes who were pressed by white settlement must assimilate as individuals or remove to the west out of harm's way. Confident that he could judge the Indians' true welfare better than they, Jackson, when employed as an Indian negotiator in his army years, had often used threats and bribery to procure cessions of land.
Foreign Affairs
Generally, foreign affairs were not a prominent concern of Jackson's administration. The President's agents negotiated a number of treaties to secure foreign trade openings and settle outstanding damage claims. Of these, only an agreement with Britain over the West Indies trade, which Jackson reached by repudiating the demands of the previous Adams administration, was in any way controversial.
Vetoed Bills
President Jackson passionately rejects a bill that rechartered the Bank of the United States. He argues that the Bank givesprivilege and unfair advantageto a wealthy few at the expense of the public, and he opposes foreign ownership of Bank stock. The President claims the same right to interpret the Constitution as Congress and the Supreme Court when he questions the constitutionality of the Bank. Jackson vetoed 12 bills total while President.
Farewell Address
We behold systematic efforts publicly made to sow the seeds of discord between different parts of the United States, and to place party divisions directly upon geographical distinctions; to excite the South against the North, and the North against the South, and to force into the controversy the most delicate and exciting topics upon which it is impossible that a large portion of the Union can ever speak without strong emotions. Appeals, too, are constantly made to sectional interests, in order to influence the election of the chief magistrate, as if it were desired that he should favor a particular quarter of the country instead of fulfilling the duties of his station with impartial justice to all; and the possible dissolution of the Union has at length become an ordinary and familiar subject of discussion.
George Washington
Inauguration
On April 30, Washington was escorted to Federal Hall on Wall Street and into the Senate Chamber. Washington, Vice President John Adams, the Senators and Representatives stepped out of the chamber onto a balcony overlooking the street filled with a cheering crowd. As there were as yet no Supreme Court Justices, the Oath of Office was administered by Chancellor Robert R. Livingstone - New York's highest ranking judge. After taking the oath, Washington and the others returned to the Senate Chamber where the new president gave a short speech. The speech included Washington’s beliefs of a higher power and intentions for the Union.
Domestic Policy
Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton laid plans for governmental financing via tariffs, or surcharges on imported goods, and a tax on liquor. Much of this revenue was earmarked for retiring war debts. Hamilton also proposed a national bank to centralize the nation's financial base and urged the new government to assist in developing a manufacturing sector of the economy.
Foreign Policy
Upon becoming President of the United States, George Washington almost immediately set two critical foreign policy precedents: He assumed control of treaty negotiations with a hostile power—in this case, the Creek Nation of Native Americans—and then asked for congressional approval once they were finalized. In addition, he sent American emissaries overseas for negotiations without legislative approval.
Vetoes
On April 5, 1792, George Washington cast the first presidential veto determining that an apportionment bill passed by Congress violated the constitutional guidelines for determining the number of delegates that should comprise the House of Representatives. Washington Vetoed a total of 2 bills during his time as President.
Farewell Address
At the end of Washington’s second term, Washington wrote an open letter advising the people of his intentions to retire from politics. Washington praises the federal government and warns against political parties and the party system. He stresses the importance of neutrality for the United States and encourages a focus on Domestic issues. Washington ends with reminding people that no one is perfect including himself and future presidential candidates.
Andrew Jackson / George Washington / John Adams / Thomas JeffersonInauguration
Domestic Policies
Foreign Affairs
Vetoed Bills
Farewell Address